Possible Gold Nugget Found

[Bottlemanstx]

Well I have to say this is a first for me finding a possible gold nugget on one of the 1715 fleet beaches. It was a long day of swinging the MD back and forth with nothing to show once again from this particular beach. It just so happened that before I decided to B line it to the exit completely exhausted there was a faint beep which was music to my ears after not having one for a couple of hours.

I dug it out in the first scoop and thought nothing of it as it looked liked what I thought was a melted piece of aluminum. In my pouch it went and I was off to another beach in hopes of finding some modern day treasure ( which I found none of ).

Up until two nights ago it sat on my work bench until I decided to take another look at it under my wife's OCTO light. WOW this was not a piece of aluminum but what appeared to be a gold nugget. The weight of it in the palm of my hand was another indicator that this was not aluminum and hopefully GOLD.

I am trying to do a little research on it and wanted to see what everyone here thinks of it. I know the pictures don't do it any justice but any remarks are welcome.

Thanks & Happy Hunting

 

[steve from ohio]

It kind of looks like brass.

Take it to a reputable coin dealer and they can tell you what kind of metal it is.

I hope it is gold for ya though!

 

[Bottlemanstx]

Steve from Ohio those were also my thoughts at first and then I compaired it with several others shown in Daniel Sedwicks online auction catalog #5 in the gold bullion section and ya never know. It will need to be checked by a pro.

 

[deepsix47]

The best way to tell is have it tested. If you don't have a kit but know a jeweler, take it to them. If you are in the area of Sebastian, take it into Mel's Museum. They will test it and might even be willing to give you a "Beach Find 1715 Certificate" for it. That would make it worth a lot more then just it's nugget value.

Don't be surprised at finding nuggets on those beaches. There was a huge amount of Placer type gold on the fleet and most of it is still there. When you work those beaches always remember to think outside of the box. An example would be to take an interest in every piece of green glass you see. Drop in into your bag and and check it out carefully when you get home. More then just a few emeralds have come off of those beaches. Nice find.

Deepsix

 

[Bottlemanstx]

Well I finally got around to testing the nugget to see if it was in fact gold. After purchasing a gold and silver test kit I sat down and went to work. I started with the 14K solution first and nothing then I thought what the heck lets try the 22K solution nothing. My final attempt was with the 18K solution and there it was the gold sample changed colors and then slowly disappeared. The nugget is between 14 and 18K I think as I have a real basic test kit.

I also decided to weigh it and it weighed in a little over 3 grams. Not to bad now I just need to see if I can get a beach certificate for it and it will be a true 1715 Fleet Artifact. Deepsix thanks for the heads up on the green glass and all of your positive input.

 

[Sand Scoop]

When I use to watch Deadwood they would just bite down on it to see if it was real or not..

 

[mlayers]

As they say there is gold in them hills. But in your case there is gold on the beaches. Great find..... Matt

 

[deepsix47]

That's GREAT Bottleman!!!! I've often wondered, since they reclaim all of that sand and pump it back up on the beach every year, if they might get into that Placer gold now and then. It might not be a bad idea to spend more time on that beach in the same area you got that one in. Who knows what else they might get into.

Emeralds have turned up on the beaches from Disney down to Pepper Park, that I know of personally. There is still, despite all of the years of heavy working, a tremendous amount of treasure on those beaches. It's true that it takes a good storm to strip away a tremendous amount of sand to get to a lot of it, but always remember that treasure washes out, not in from the wrecks. On the beaches, you are finding the treasure that was but up on shore and in the dunes by that hurricane that sunk the beach. Any storm that erodes that dune line has the potential of washing new treasure onto the beach.

It also narrows down the area of your search when the normal beach sand has not been washed away. After such a storm, work the dune line out to about 6/10 feet onto the beach. That's where you'll find anything that came out of the dunes. My favorite areas to search have always been the dune line and the surf line (be sure to stay out of the water unless you have a contract).

Deepsix

 

[ramfan]

There is a ton of replenishment of the beaches here....is that what you are talking about? All I hear is complaints about refurbishing. Anybody have luck in this stuff?

 

[deepsix47]

Yea, that's what I mean and there is a lot to complain about. But....each year that sand gets washed out and get pumped back up to the beach again. It stands to reason that on occasion the dredge could grab something interesting and throw it high and dry.

The hardpan on the beach and dune erosion is what we are looking for. Problem is that there is so much of it now it's going to take a major storm to strip the beach. Dune erosion only goes so far as a lot of the treasure in them will be down low also.

Deepsix

 

[billinstuart]

The crap that is pumped onto the beaches in the grossly misguided effort to renourish them comes from sites too far offshore to contain anything from the natural beach environment. True beach material moves along the beach, and seldom moves any further out than the wave line. The problem with inlets is if sand washes to the outer end of them, the high velocity water carries the sand either in or out of the inlet, where it is lost from the beach system.

The government (corps of Engineers) and Great Lakes dredging have ruined our east coast beaches, under the watchful but incompetent eyes of our county "coastal engineers".

 

[Bottlemanstx]

The crap that is pumped onto the beaches in the grossly misguided effort to renourish them comes from sites too far offshore to contain anything from the natural beach environment. True beach material moves along the beach, and seldom moves any further out than the wave line. The problem with inlets is if sand washes to the outer end of them, the high velocity water carries the sand either in or out of the inlet, where it is lost from the beach system.

The government (corps of Engineers) and Great Lakes dredging have ruined our east coast beaches, under the watchful but incompetent eyes of our county "coastal engineers".

billinstuart I couldn't have agreed with you any more on this one. It is my belief the gold nugget is true beach material that was moving along the beach as I found it about midway between the toe of the low tide and the crest of high tide line. This beach is not part of the re nourishment project so maybe there is a pocket of these just waiting to be found. I have been back several times but the beaches were just full of sea grass. I did have a good signal in one spot but the tide kept filling in my hole.

Happy Hunting

 

[jb7487]

My favorite areas to search have always been the dune line and the surf line (be sure to stay out of the water unless you have a contract).

Can you elaborate on what "have a contract" means? I'm a complete newbie when it comes to beach hunting so I'm not sure what the "rules of engagement" are.

Thanks!

 

[aquanut]

jb7487
The state awards contracts to companies and gives them the rights to salvage wrecks. As pertains to the 1715 fleet, the Fisher's have all the rights within 3,000 feet of center which means that you cannot detect or recover anything below the surfline. Safely, you can detect and recover between the surfline and the dunes. You cannot go into the dunes unless it is private property and you have permission from the owner. That's it in a nutshell.
Aquanut

 

[jb7487]

Thanks aquanut for the explanation.